PRESS RELEASE | NOVEMBER 2014

Cash Up, who developed and prototyped a connected cash register, were selected as the winner of Ireland’s first multidisciplinary design and hardware hackathon.

This two-day event, held in partnership with Dublin City University (DCU), the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and the Web Summit, is the second in a series of PCH and DCU hardware hackathons.

Over 100 industrial designers and hardware enthusiasts as well as multiple prototyping equipment providers came together to collaborate from concept stage to final product and ultimately developed a range of innovative hardware solutions with cutting-edge design.

First prize went to CashUp, who developed and prototyped a connected cash register for automated cash management. The team was awarded a €1,500 fund for the continuing development of their product, sponsored by PCH and consulting from Each&Other to perfect their design. The team also received three tickets to the Web Summit.

Second prize was awarded to City+ a bicycle-powered connected sensor, which who developed a product for. The team received a €1,000 cash prize for the development of their product and an Autodesk Licence.

Third prize was awarded to Pill Pal who developed a smart pill box to tackle medical non-compliance. The team received a €500 cash prize for the development of their product.

Among the other prototypes developed at the weekend were a control and monitoring system for urban allotments; a sensor to monitor the shelf life of products and a wearable sensor to monitor air quality.

“We want to thank all the participants who came out over 36 hours to participate in this multidisciplinary hackathon,” said PCH Founder and CEO Liam Casey. “We are very excited to involve industrial design for the first time, and to see such creativity and passion for product innovation. As we all know, design is the key to great products and great brands. When engineers and designers collaborate, you get the greatest innovation, and greatest value for consumers.”

Brian MacCraith, DCU President said, “We are very pleased to partner once again with PCH on a hardware hackathon and to welcome for the first time the National College of Art and Design as an important partner in this event. During Web Summit, it is a great time to have a hardware hackathon to raise awareness of the creativity, passion and talent in Ireland. The University has a key role to play in bringing groups together to foster innovation and encourage excitement around the Internet of Things. There is so much opportunity to develop the next generation of connected products, and we want our engineering and design community to join forces so that Ireland can play a leading role in this space.”

The Hackathon began with a number of open workshops open to the public for IoT/hardware equipment including Intel’s Galileo development board.

Hackathon participants then pitched ideas to the crowd and attracted attendees to form design and production teams.

After the best ideas were voted on, the participants worked together in teams over 36 hours with event partners, Radionics, hosting a pop-up electronics shop to support the prototyping activity. Mark Hatch, CEO and Co-founder at TechShop, introduced the final pitching sessions. The Hackathon concluded with a lively panel discussion looking at how design and product development are interlinked.